


Never Again

by Harmonique



Series: Jason Todd whump [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Panic Attacks, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Protective Bruce Wayne, let my boy jason todd gets the love he deserves, no beta we die like jason todd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:48:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29979684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harmonique/pseuds/Harmonique
Summary: Jason was coming back to Gotham when he was captured and took to a warehouse, in a way too familiar situation.Thankfully, his family won't let anyone take him away from them again.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Jason Todd whump [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2122002
Comments: 12
Kudos: 124





	Never Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prequel to Nightmare but you can read it independently.  
> As always English is not my first language so if you see typos please tell me!  
> It's the longest work I've ever written in English and I'm really proud so please tell me if you enjoyed it!
> 
> (Also it's not edited bcz I'm lazy)

Jason woke up with a terrible headache and no memories of the past few hours. His first reflex was to try and sit up, but he realized quickly that he was tied up, hands behind his back. 

He tried to call for help, but he was gagged too.

At this moment, Jason started to panic because he was alone in what seemed to be too much like a warehouse and he couldn’t move nor cry for help; also no one knew that he was missing. He was alone in this, as the _ last time _ .

His breathing started to speed up when his mind was brought back to the moment the Joker left him alone in the warehouse with a bomb. 

A part of Jason was telling him that he should calm down before the panic gets too important for him to bear, another part was just panicking, thinking that he’ll die again. 

_ Oh my god, he will die and no one will ever know what happened to him.  _

_ An explosion can destroy his body so no one will ever find him again.  _

_ And what if his family thinks he just left? _

Overthinking was usually the first stage of Jason’s panic. He now couldn’t stop thinking about how Bruce, Dick, or Damian would react if they think he’ll leave forever, abandoning them. And Alfred?

_ Oh God, Alfred.  _

Alfred would be  _ devastated _ .

His breath was now coming out at an irregular pace and his vision was swimming.

He needed to calm down now.

But how can you calm down tied up on the floor of a fucking warehouse, knowing that the last time you entered a warehouse you died in it?

He was definitely panicking, even though he was trying to regular his breath and calm down his heartbeat when he heard it. The laugh.  _ Him _ .

_ Nononononono, not again, not him, not now. No! _

All Jason’s attempts to calm down disappear when he heard that famous laugh. He needed to get out of here  _ now _ .

Tears started rolling down his face as Jason was pulling on his bonds.

He couldn’t die here,  _ he couldn’t _ .

Because of the panic and the adrenaline, he wasn’t feeling pain anymore, he couldn’t tell how much time he spent in this place, he just needed to get out of here.

Suddenly, he heard a click behind him.

He struggled to turn his face, and he felt his blood draining from his face as he spotted an exact replica of Joker’s bomb on the other side of the room.

The same bomb that killed him years ago. The bomb that was going to kill him again today. For good this time.

Jason was sobbing now. He didn’t want to die, he wanted his dad, his brothers, Alfred. He wanted to eat burgers again, to see the sunset again, to see the snow and the rain, to count the stars at night, to watch a stupid movie curled up on the couch, to pet a cat, to kiss a lover, to smell popcorns and cotton candy when he walks through a fair, to read more books, to discover more music. He wanted to live. He wanted to live so badly  _ it hurts _ .

The timer on the bomb was showing 20:00.

Twenty minutes left.

“Dad.” he sobbed in the gag, which let out only a muffled sound.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Adrenaline was leaving his body, leaving him tired and hurts and devastated. He didn’t want to see the timer. The last time, he had kept his eyes on the red numbers until it reached 00:00. Until his death. He didn’t want to do it again. He was almost praying for his body to fall asleep before the explosion of the warehouse.

Some time must have passed, because the next time he opened his eyes, a shadow was above him.

“I’m here Jason. I found you, I’m here.”

Jason couldn’t believe it. It was probably his mind, creating illusions of the people he loved the most before his death, to calm him down probably.

He felt the shadow pulling the bonds, but realizing that he couldn’t untie him, it decided to change its approach.

It took only a minute before Jason was raised and carried against a strong chest.

“I’ve got you, Jaybird, you’re okay. You need to breathe.”

“Batman, only three minutes left.” resonated a voice in the com and Jason froze.

No.  _ No. _

He didn’t want to see the timer,  _ hedidn’twanttoseethetimer _ .

“I’ve got Jason, we’re going out.” answered his father’s voice as he felt his body being carried away quickly as if the person holding him was running for his life. Which was not far away from the truth. 

Soon, Jason felt fresh air on his face and Batman all but threw them behind a car before an incredibly strong explosion echoed in the empty place.

When Jason could hear properly again, the first noise he made out was a terrible, piercing scream. His throat was hurting, his lungs were hurting, his head and ears were hurting. His ribs were  _ killing  _ him. 

He felt more hands pulling him against a smaller chest, but he couldn’t think straight, it took him a solid minute to realize the scream he was hearing was his own. His vision was blurred by the tears freely rolling down his cheeks. Someone was soothing him, as the other one was untying him, before taking out softly the gag. 

“You need to calm down, Little Wing. Calm down or you’re going to make yourself pass out.”

Jason knew he was hyperventilating, but it felt as if he couldn’t get enough air.

He probably did pass out at some point, because the next time he opened his eyes, he was in the batmobile, on the backseat, with Alfred petting his hair to help him calm down. 

“You’re okay, my boy. We’re getting you home now.”

Jason burst into tears. He couldn’t really understand why, but he was still so fucking scared. His mind was racing and he couldn’t think straight. Everything hurt, his breathing was labored but Alfred was there. Alfred would make everything better. 

“You need to stay awake until we’re sure you’re fine, Jaylad. Can you do this for me?”

Bruce’s voice was soft as if he was talking to a child. 

Jason wanted to talk, to tell them how scared he was and how much his body hurt but at this point, he was just babbling incoherently. Trying to speak even though his brain was completely disconnected from the situation. 

Jason wanted to call his dad, to tell him that he felt as if he was dying all over again.  _ But he just couldn’t speak _ . 

He heard Dick telling him he’ll be okay, probably to make him stop trying to speak. He was right actually, Jason was just tiring himself. He wanted so badly to tell his family that the Joker was back and that they were all going to die and that he didn’t want to die.

He finally closed his eyes again, letting the peaceful darkness pull him under.

Bruce had to act as an anchor for his son. But inside, he was actually terrified. He almost lost his son again, the same way as the first time. 

When he realized that Jason’s tracer was in someplace far away, he kind of panicked and immediately asked Barbara to call the others. He made it in time, but he almost lost his son, and Jason was fucking terrified. He cried and screamed the whole way home, and even asleep, he was still shaking and whimpering as if he was in a nightmare.

Alfred checked on him and informed Bruce that his son had broken ribs, an injured wrist, and a concussion. Jason might also have trouble breathing for the next few days because of the explosion near them, but it wasn’t too severe.

When Alfred woke up Jason to make him swallow a few pills and to make sure he was still remembering his name and what happened to him. Jason started to breathe too fast for his father’s liking and Bruce instinctively put his injured son in his arms. “You’re okay, baby. It’s fine, we rescued you.” but Jason seemed as if he didn’t realize he was surrounded by his family and safe. His eyes were closed tightly and he was whining: “no, no. Not again, not the grave again.”

“Jaylad, open your eyes, you’re okay, you’re  _ safe _ .”

“Can’t… can’t breathe. Dad, dad please take me out of here,  _ please _ .”

“You’re  _ home _ , son. Please open your eyes, can you do that?”

But Jason was still shaking and crying until Alfred prinked him with a needle and he promptly passed out.

“I think Master Jason should stay like this for a while. We should take him to the manor, Master Bruce before he wakes up and panics again?”

Bruce took his son in his arms and carried him gently to his old bedroom, putting him under the covers and kissing his forehead before sitting in a chair near his bedside. Jason was still whimpering in his sleep, turning over in the bed.

Dick joined him, following his brother in the bed and taking Jason in his arms, shushing him softly. “Sleep a bit, Little Wing. I’ll be there when you’ll wake up.”

There was another problem: Jason refused to eat. He didn’t want to leave his bed, didn’t want to eat or drink either. Worst, because of nightmares, he was always moving in his sleep, preventing his ribs from healing. 

“Jay, come on, you’re home, you’re safe. We’re going to take care of you, but you need to let us help you.”

Jason was hidden under his blanket like a child, crying softly, and it was breaking his father’s heart.

“Maybe Alfred can make him some hot chocolate?” suggested Tim, “It might comfort him a bit, right?”

“A tea would be better,” answered Dick, who was now near Jason, a hand on the younger’s forehead. “He has a fever.”

Alfred sighed and left to find an IV and to make some soup. 

“Is Alfred mad at me?” whispered Jason.

“Of course he’s not mad at you, sweetheart. He’s just really worried, we all are.”

Jason suddenly looked at Bruce in the eyes: “Do you think I like feeling this way? Feeling bad and vulnerable and scared?”

“Nobody said that, Jason. We know it’s been hard for you. You just need to rest for now and you’ll feel better soon.”

“Then stop looking at me as if I was fucking disabled,” Jason growled, and Bruce couldn’t help but felt bad for the poor boy: he was traumatized and hurt, but still tried to keep it together and to keep a mask to hide his feelings from his family. 

“I will always see you as my strong and brave son, you just need to take your time to heal, alright?”

Jason didn’t answer but seemed to relax a bit in his brother’s hold. Tim and Bruce finally left the bedroom to go on patrol: they needed to find who did this to Jason. 

Joker was still in Arkham and the police called Batman to confirm it, so it must be someone else, someone copying the Joker and knowing what he did to Jason, which was making him a very dangerous person. 

Dick, Steph, Cass, and Alfred could take care of Jason for the moment, and Barbara was in the Cave if they needed another pair of hands to help them. 

Damian, Tim, and Bruce put on their suits and left for patrol.

When Bruce came back, Jason was alone, asleep in his bed. The older man petted his hair and kissed his forehead before going to his own bed. He was sleeping for a few hours when he heard a terrified scream coming from outside of his bedroom.

“Jason!” he whispered and ran towards the younger’s bedroom. The injured boy was screaming and struggling against the blanket. 

“Bruce! Bruce! Don’t leave me here again!” he was sobbing now, “Please _ get me out of here _ ,  _ dad _ !”

“Jason! Jason, it’s just a nightmare, wake up!” 

Some people had joined Bruce in the room, but the only thing Bruce cared about right now was his son. “Jason, you need to open your eyes. You’re safe, baby. You’re home.”

It took a while for Jason to finally open his eyes, gasping as if he was drowning. When he realized that he was at home, in the bedroom, he ran to the window and opened it wide, trying to take deep breaths. Bruce wanted to take him in his arms and tell him that everything was fine, but he wasn’t sure if Jason wanted to be held after that kind of dream. 

“Master Bruce, I am afraid that his fever is since his ribs cannot heal because of how much he’s moving during the night.”

“And he’s moving because of that fever which is inducing nightmares.” completed Bruce. He didn’t know how to help his son and it was making him sick. 

“I’ll stay… for the night… to keep him safe.”

Bruce looked at Cassandra with surprise, but the girl ignored him to look at Jason: “I’ll keep nightmares at bay… Don’t worry.”

“Cass--

“It’s fine… I need to finish the… book I’m reading.” Cass answered showing the small book she had in hand. Cass was still struggling with learning English, and it was taking her hours to read a simple page, but she was not giving up. Bruce finally nodded and helped Jason to his bed. “Fine, take care of him please.” He whispered to the young girl who approved 

solemnly.

During the night, Cass started reading the book to Jason. Her sentences were short, hesitating, she was correcting herself every five minutes, but Jason didn’t mind, and his patience was giving the young girl the support she needed to continue her reading.

The next day, Dick replaced Cass and tried to make Jason eat a bit of what Alfred had made them for breakfast. Dick always had that way to talk about the smallest things even when the situation was serious. He told Jason about his walk in the park this morning and about how beautiful the trees were, covered in snow. “I hope in a few days, we could go and walk together. I know you love the snow.” Jason nodded distractedly, looking at his breakfast as if it was poisoned. “You should eat a bit, Little Wing, or you’re going to stay weak and sick.”

“I’m not weak.” groaned the younger.

The older man ignored him and continued to talk to him until he had to leave to go to work.

“Eat, Jason.” he insisted before leaving the room.

When Alfred entered a few hours later, the food was still untouched.

Steph and Barbara spent their afternoon with Jason, talking about which actor was the sexiest and painting their nails.

“Come on Jason, what color do you want for your toes?”

“I like my toes like they are, thank you very much.”

“Come oooooon,” Whined Stephanie. “First you betrayed me by choosing Jacob over Edward, and now this?”

Jason sighed: “Black.” he finally answered and Barbara yelled in delight as she was taking the bottle of nail polish.

“Edward might be richer than Jacob, but at least Jacob seems a bit more alive than Edward. Do you imagine waking up every morning next to a guy who kind of looks dead all the time and you don’t know if this time he was killed in his sleep?”

“Yes, but Jacob nicknamed Bella’s daughter after the loch-ness monster.”

Jason couldn’t help but smiled.

Tim wasn’t really good at cheering up people, but he wanted to make an effort for Jason. Jason was his brother after all. 

But when he joked about having to take Red Hood’s succession if Jason had died he wasn’t expecting Jason to suddenly panic and start shaking all over again.

“Shit,  _ shit  _ Jason I’m sorry. I was only kidding,  _ I’m sorry _ .”

Jason didn’t answer, trying to regular his breath as Tim was running a hand down his back to calm him down.

“It’s… It’s okay Timbo,” he articulated. “You didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Do you… uh… Do you want a hug… maybe?” Asked the younger, a bit hesitant.

Jason looked at him as if he had grown a second head. But after a few, long seconds, he nodded and made room for him in his bed.

After that incident, Jason and Tim started hugging a lot more, they weren’t really talking about it, but Tim was gesturing Jason to let him sit next to him, or sometimes Jason was making room on his own in his bed and the two of them just sat together, comforted by each other’s warmth.

Damian was jealous. Everyone seemed to get along with Jason, and he was feeling excluded.

Damian wasn’t about to beg or to wait until his brother accepted him in his comfort zone. One evening, when everyone was asleep, even Cass on the couch in Jason’s room. Damian walked to the bed, flinching at his brother’s feverish mumbling, and lied next to him, spooning his brother even though he’s twice his size. 

When Jason woke up in the morning, he couldn’t really understand why his youngest brother was sleeping next to him, nor why Dick was taking pictures instead of calling the police because someone had clearly captured Robin and replaced him with someone else. But when Damian came back the next evening, he didn’t complain and pretended to be asleep. 

  
  


The fever was not breaking. It was actually getting worse, and Bruce was really worried. He talked about it with Alfred, and the latter agreed to prepare a cold bath for the injured man. When they carried Jason to the bathroom, his temperature was 104°F. The boy wasn’t conscious enough to understand what was happening, but when he was dropped in the cold water, he started to scream and struggle against Bruce’s hold.

“Jason, sweetheart, we need to take your temperature down. Do you understand?”

Well, it seemed like Jason wasn’t understanding, because he kept screaming, tears rolling down his face. 

“You need to stay in there until your temperature drops a bit, son. We’re going to take care of you, okay? You don’t have to worry.”

Jason kept sobbing until they carried him out of the bath: he always hated being held down. When Alfred wrapped him in a warm towel, the door opened and Dick entered, alerted by the screams and cries.

“What the hell happened here?”

“Language, Master Dick.”

“We had to take his temperature down.” Explained Bruce, and Dick nodded as Jason waddled towards him to hide his face in his torso.

Dick smiled at his brother’s cuteness and rubbed his back to warm him up a bit.

“Dick, I don’t think your brother wants to see us right now, so could you take him back to his bedroom and stay with him? Alfred will make him hot cocoa.”

The man nodded and coaxed Jason to his room, promising him a good movie to watch in bed.

Bruce looked in the room an hour later to see all of his sons stacked on the bed. Cassandra, Barbara, and Stephanie were curled up on the couch, talking about their last mission together. 

Jason was fast asleep in Dick’s arms, but the latter made Bruce understand that Jason was still upset about the forced bath they gave him earlier, so he did not enter. He just smiled at the scene before going to the Cave to catch up on some work. 

Even though Jason was still mad at him, Bruce kept comforting him after a nightmare, taking him in his arms for the next few days. Until he was woken up in the middle of the night by a very worried Steph: “Jason was having a nightmare again, and he just ran. I mean… He left the house!”

Before he even noticed it, Bruce dressed up in two seconds, took a coat, and ran in the yard to look for his son. 

Thankfully, Jason wasn’t far away, he was alone in the yard, covered in snow and shivering. He was babbling incoherently and crying as his hands were trying to scratch the snow and the dirt.

“Jason? Jason, baby are you okay?”

The boy wasn’t answering, he was whispering “I need to get out of here… need to get out of here. I’m… I’m stuck… Can’t breathe…”

“Jason, breathe.” Bruce was terrified, he couldn’t understand what was happening to his son but he could see that he was in the middle of a panic attack mixed with a nightmare probably.

Bruce hesitated only a second before taking his son in his arms and kissed his face multiple times as if he needed to make sure Jason was still alive in his arms. The young boy was shaking, but probably also from the cold and the snow. His fingers were almost blue and Bruce took off his coat to give it to his son. 

“Jason, baby. Listen to me, alright? I know it’s not easy, and I know you must feel terrified, but I can help you, we can help you. We will never let anything like that happen to you again, but you need to let us help you. You need to speak to us, to tell you what you’re thinking or how you’re feeling. Okay, sweetheart?”

Jason kept sobbing but he nodded and let his eyes closed. Dick joined them and helped Bruce to carry the younger back to the manor. Once in the manor, Alfred ran to the boy and immediately checked his temperature. “You didn’t want a cold bath but then you’re running in the yard in pajamas in the middle of the night. You’re really attached to that fever, aren’t you?”

Jason smiled a little and let his father carry him to the couch near the fireplace. 

“Master Bruce, you should change your clothes before catching a cold. Master Dick, can you bring your brother more blankets?”

Bruce didn’t want to leave his son, but Alfred assured him that he’ll watch over the injured bird. 

When Bruce came back in warm and clean clothes a dozen minutes later, Jason was curled up against Alfred like he used to do it when he was just ten years old and that his relationship with Bruce was already complicated. Alfred was petting his hair and Jason seemed so small in the old butler arms, Bruce could have stayed here to watch them forever, but he wanted to take his son in his arms too, and never let go. 

“I was so scared to die and you wouldn’t find my body and you would’ve thought I left without warning and I didn’t want you to be sad.” He heard Jason mumble to the older man as he was approaching and Alfred shushed him gently: “I know you would never leave your family without warning, dear boy. And I’m so pleased that you’re safe and that your father took you back home, at least until you feel better.”

“You can leave whenever you want, Jason. I don’t want you to feel trapped here. But I would like you to stay until you’re healed at least.”

Jason nodded and Alfred let Bruce hold his son as he left to make hot cocoa. 

Dick joined them with not only three blankets but also a horde of worried little birds. Cass, Steph, Tim, and Damian were looking at their brother with worried eyes. But they didn’t say anything, they just all dropped on the couch near their brother and created a huge pile of warmth and comfort, still being careful to Jason’s sensitive ribs.

“I heard we were having a pajama party.” smiled Tim, and Jason groaned: “You’re not invited.”

Tim pouted and Dick pressed a kiss on his hair. “Don’t be mean, Little Wing. You’re going to finish your hot cocoa and put warm clothes on and then we’ll watch a movie together. What about that?”

Jason seemed to hesitate before nodding. Cass and Steph rubbed him with warm towels, and Alfred brought back a warm drink and a fluffy yellow sweater that Jason put on hastily.

They started watching a random movie: The Vanishing when suddenly the hero woke up in a grave. 

From every movie of this fucking planet, they had to choose a movie where the hero was buried alive? 

Thankfully, Jason who was almost asleep had his eyes closed for the moment. But Dick immediately took his younger brother’s head and hid it against his torso. 

“What the fuck, Dickhead?” Groaned Jason but Dick was already pressing his siblings to change the movie: “We’re gonna watch The Hobbit instead, okay? This movie was shitty anyway.”

“Let me go, Dickie.” asked Jason again, but the older just kissed his brother's temple and kept him against his body until the Hobbit was starting. 

Jason grumbled for a second, but then closed his eyes again. 

When the movie was over and his injured son was almost asleep in his big brother’s arms. Bruce shook him gently: “Come on Jay, let’s get you to bed.” Jason let his father lead him to the second floor but emitted a surprised noise when he saw Bruce’s bedroom. 

“I’d rather keep you near me for the moment. Is it okay for you?”

“Huh… Yeah sure, I was just a bit surprised that’s all.”

Bruce lied on the bed first and let his son curl up against him. 

“I will not let you down again, Jay. Never. I know it’s difficult for you, but I promise you’re safe here. You have a family that will always take care of you.”

Jason yawned and nodded. “I know, dad.” He mumbled sleepily. 

Bruce kissed his hair once again: “Get some sleep, son.”

The next morning, Jason was still fast asleep when Bruce woke up. He let his hand run down his son’s back as he was thinking about last night. God knows what would have done Jason if Bruce wouldn’t have stopped him. Scratching the ground until he lost his fingernails? Freeze to death, alone in the snow? 

He looked down at his son, snoring softly next to him. When Jason is asleep, he really seems younger. His messy black hair like a halo around his soft face, and his mouth slightly open. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that, Jaylad.” He whispered even though he knew his son couldn’t hear him. 

Jason grumbled in his sleep and pressed his face deeper in Bruce’s chest, probably seeking warmth. 

He stayed like that for almost an hour until Tim entered the room, smiled at his older brother sleeping like a toddler against their father. 

“Alfred and Damian made the breakfast. Honestly, I don’t want to touch anything Damian made, but at least he did something.”

“Be nice, with your brother.” Smiled Bruce before softly waking up Jason. "Come on, Jason. You need to wake up.”

“Why? Alfred did crepes?”

“No, crepes are on Friday.”

“Then no, I’ll not wake up.”

Damian's angry voice could be heard from the kitchen: “I made a crepe only for you Todd. If you don’t come down in five minutes I’ll kill you.”

“Wait, I want a crepe too.” Dick’s voice complained. 

“Me too!” Pipped up Steph. 

“I fucking hate this family.”

“Master Damian!”

The three men upstairs chuckled and Jason left to get dressed. 

“Thank you, for what you and your siblings are doing for Jason. Thank you for being so patient with him.”

Tim smiled: “We’re family, that’s our job.”

In the kitchen, Jason took Damian in his arms when he realized that the brat really did a crepe just for him.

“I always knew you were the best one of us.”

Damian groaned and acted as if he wanted to punch the older, but he was smiling and his cheeks were redder than his Robin suit.

It took a long time for Jason to finally feel a bit better, and he almost had another panic attack as he was shopping with his father for new clothes. Thankfully Bruce noticed it very quickly and helped his son to calm down before passing out in the middle of the mall. 

“You’re okay, Jay. Remember, nothing will ever happen to you when you’re with me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Batman also had to find out who did it to Jason. It took them also two weeks to find the guy. Just a creepy man completely obsessed with the Joker and who had learned about what he did to the young boy. Batman and Nightwing arrested him and dropped him at the police station after making sure the man will regret what he did forever. 

No one will ever touch his son again. 

One evening, Jason went to Bruce’s room. He seemed stressed, worried.

“Jay? Are you okay?”

“I… uh… I need to tell you something.”

Bruce immediately understood what it was about. His fever was gone, his injuries healed. Jason had no reasons to stay now.

Bruce took his son in his arms, making the most of his time left with his son. He wanted to hold him and never let him go. 

“You’re leaving, right?”

Jason didn’t answer, and Bruce wanted to yell at him to hurry up, to tell him before Bruce started imagining anything. 

“Actually,” Jason started, hesitant, “Actually, I don’t really want to leave.”

His father looked at him for one long minute, without saying anything until Jason broke the silence again: “But if you want me to leave, I get it, okay? I… I won’t take it badly, I know that you’re not used to having me around so--

“Jason, stop. Nothing would make me happier to have you here with me. With us. I… I just… Are you sure this is what you want?”

Jason smiled, remembering Dick hiding his face during a triggering moment of a movie, Damian making crepes for him, Cass reading to him, Steph and Barbara and their discussion about Twilight, and Tim trying to cheer him up. And Bruce and Alfred, who had saved him so many times, and who keep taking care of him and worry about him.

“Yes, I’m afraid so.” 

**Author's Note:**

> After this, Bruce kept Jason prisoner in his arms for more than an hour, until he was sure Jason knew who much he was loved. (Jason always knew how much he was loved but he wanted that hug badly)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
